Classic yachts always have a story to tell and those recently entered for Cowes Classics Week, 25 June – 1 July, are no exception.
The event attracts a wide variety of classic yachts ranging from fleets of one-design dayboats, to unique classics from a bygone era. Among the latter this year you will find Sally of Kames, owned by Alan and Jackie Stannah, and Charm of Rhu, owned by RLYC Commodore Martin Thomas. A previous owner of both yachts was a man with a passion for speed and a lively sense of humour. Ninian Sanderson, a racing driver from the 1950s, won Le Mans in 1956 in a Jaguar D-Type and many yacht regattas in the 1960s. Sadly, Sanderson did not win anything in Charm of Rhu but Thomas will do his best to turn things around in Cowes in 2022!
Other entries this year include Alberta and Zest. Alberta is an Essex oyster smack, built in 1885, worked hard for many years and restored to her former glory earlier this century. Zest, the first of a number of Tumlare yachts brought to the UK in the 1930s, was once described by Uffa Fox as “the most advanced type of cruiser in the world”.
To enter Cowes Classics Week, please go to www.cowesclassicsweek.org/enter-online or contact the organisers, the Royal London Yacht Club at secretary@ccw-team.org.
